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Kids say the Darndest Things, Teaching `A La Linkletter

I learned about it in a book. Actually it was in a text about innovative teaching practises, and all of the teachers had access to it. But no one wanted to try it.

“Why would you want to give up your precious teaching time for this,” said Maud Davis, from across the hall. “It’s just a bunch of Grade Ones talking about silly things that happened to them. Or maybe just making things up.”

“No use at all,” Bernie Smith said, “You would just end up forcing the whole class to sit still and listen to one of them talk about nothing.”

But this was the mid-1970s—teaching methods were being questioned—and I felt I was on the cusp of change.

“Isn’t speaking as important as listening,” I argued, “Or reading for that matter, or writing. None of these kids gets much of a chance to talk, all they do is listen while we drone on.”

No, they all debated, sharing time is a waste of time, but go ahead, they said, try it. Let us know what happens.

So I did. I started at square one—how they should sit—at their desks, on the floor in a circle, or audience style, in chairs. I finally decided to have them sit in a group, on a carpet. Then I had to teach them to speak up.

“No, Sally, don’t whisper, they can’t hear you.”

“That’s better, Terry, I like the way you are standing still and looking at the class.”

“No, Brent, That’s your recess voice!”

We were making great progress

Soon, the kids could see that for a few moments, they were stars. They held the floor, and the others had to listen. But their favorite part was the end, where I taught them to ask,

“Are there any questions or comments?”

Other teachers heard about my little experiment and popped in to watch. These are some of the things they said:

“You’re giving them too much freedom.”

“They’ll want to sit on the floor when I get them next year.”

“Shouldn’t children be seen and not heard?”

“Teaching little kids to ask for questions and comments is silly. They are not adults.”

“You should be teaching phonics instead.”

But I didn’t care—sharing time started to take shape. By the middle of September, they had learned to sit still and listen, by the end of September, they were all speaking up, by the middle of October, they were racing to get to the carpet as soon as recess was over.

They shared all kinds of things that happened in their daily lives:

“I went to Nanaimo on Saturday. I had an ice cream”.

“I helped my mum clean the house yesterday.”

“I saw a rabbit on the way to school. It was brown.”

“I saw a unicorn last night. It looked in my bedroom window.”

And some things that didn’t happen. Yes, they made things up,  but that was okay, at least they were learning.

By Hallowe’en, Sharing Time was a success. I was so sure about it that I invited parents. The class would wear their costumes. They would share like angels. It would be fun. Stick it in your ear, Maud Davis, I thought.

Out of the classroom, and onto the stage!

On Hallowe’en Day, right after recess, I got back from the staff room to find, right on cue, the entire class sitting demurely in a group on the carpet, waiting for me. The parents were lined up along the wall. It was showtime.

I started with Sally. She was always perfect.

“My costume is a fairy”, she said sweetly, waving her wand, while her parents beamed,  “I can give everyone three wishes.”

“Thanks, Sally,” I said, “You can do the wishes later.”

Teresa was next. She talked about her pet cat, who was wearing a costume too, at home. Then it was Jimmy’s turn. He shared about a sleepover he was having that night. He was a bit shy, because his mum was there, so we could hardly hear him. Finally we got to Bucky, who had a loud, clear voice. His mother wasn’t there, but she said she would come next time.

“We can’t have sleepovers in our house.” he said loudly (and clearly), “Only when Daddy’s away. That’s when Uncle Jamie comes over to stay.” Then he took a deep breath,  “Any questions or comments?”

The parents looked at each other in shock. Then they looked at me. I was frozen to the spot. Several children were waving their arms, ready to ask questions.

“I’m sorry, Class,” I croaked, “No time for questions and comments today.”

Somehow, I ended the session, and thanked the parents for coming.

Then Maud popped in, looking smug—I could see the word had spread.

“How did it go?”, she asked, innocently,  “Were the parents attentive?”

“Yes,” I said, “It was perfect, and, if you must know, the parents were VERY attentive.”

26 thoughts on “Kids say the Darndest Things, Teaching `A La Linkletter”

    1. Still the Lucky Few

      So glad you enjoyed it, Janis! This story is true, and as closely related as I can remember it. I loved teaching, but the politics of it did get me down. I was innovative, and other teachers were super critical, but through the years, many of the things I (and others) tried did stick. I never attempted anything that didn’t make sense, though.

  1. Your post was a great way to start my day with an out loud laugh. Kids do say the darndest things and sometimes the things they say are quite profound! Any questions or comments? Thanks for this…

    1. Still the Lucky Few

      I loved writing this, Stephanie, and am so glad it made you laugh. Teaching will the source of several future posts—it amazes me that some of these episodes have stayed with me for so long!

  2. 😀 That reminds me of Kaitlin’s first grade teacher. She told the parents, “If you promise not to believe everything they say about me, I promise not to believe everything they say about you.”

    She had been teaching for a long time.

    1. Still the Lucky Few

      Smart lady. Kids are great at misinterpreting, and sometimes just plain making things up! Thanks for that—I wish I had thought of it!

  3. That’s priceless!!

    The real point, though, for me, is that you were teaching one of those many, many skills that never made it into a school curriculum, which is how to speak to an audience with poise and self-confidence, at a good pace, in a nicely modulated voice…and so on. How wonderful that you did that!

    I think our public education systems put far too much emphasis on a narrow range of things–mostly the ‘3 Rs’–and ignore a whole bunch of other important life skills that they could be teaching children. It shows a disappointing lack of creativity, vision and imagination. No wonder so many children find school boring and tune out. And no wonder so many young teachers, fresh out of college and full of enthusiasm and inspiration, end up being ground down by the system.

    My mother, who was born in 1911 and died in 2000, was one of that rare breed, like you, who — inspired by people like A.S.Neill and John Holt — went on being a visionary and innovative grade school teacher to the end of her working life (at 75!) You and she would have had a lot to talk about!

    1. Still the Lucky Few

      John Holt! I haven’t heard that name for 30 years! It’s true, I came on the teaching scene at a time when the Montessori and other progressive methods were being introduced in North America (mostly during the 1970s), and I took to it. Many other teachers did not, and a battle raged about methods for years. I think the more conservative branch won out. I’m not in the loop any more, but I think that the situation is more progressive now than we believe. Computers seem to be winning, and the advances in using them are debatable.

  4. I loved teaching first grade too! We are so similar in our methods grounded in respecting and encouraging a child’s voice. Two ways I designed were 1. Children must write everyday. Forget spelling; if I could read it, the child was communicating. I returned only one or two a week per child with spelling tips, but the focus was on creative expression. Creative spelling was a natural byproduct. 2. On afternoons where we were mellow and work was finished we had You Ask Me and I’ll Ask You. No questions were off limits and I promised to be honest. My questions were to everyone and their questions were only to me. I remember once, just before my wedding, asking the children why they thought people got married. The first hand shot up and a little girl confidently announced, “So they can get dishes!”

    1. Still the Lucky Few

      It sounds like you had them write what I called a “Journal”—daily writing in which creativity, not rules was encouraged. I like the “You Ask Me” routine. It sounds courageous! I roared at your memory of the little girl with the priceless comment—so typical of a child!

  5. My three siblings and I as well as my son went to Montessori method schools for the first few years and all of us have done reasonably well in academics as well as in life. My late mother got a diploma to teach the Montessori Method after all her children had grown up but, could not teach due to family constraints. One of her great regrets.

    Your story reminds me of a number of Littler Johny jokes!

    https://short-funny.com/little-johnny-jokes.php

    1. Still the Lucky Few

      I’m sorry that your mother couldn’t realize her dream to be a Montessori teacher. Teaching according to those principles gives students a great boost in life, and is also very rewarding to teachers. I wasn’t fully Montessori trained, but incorporated many of her teachings. Thanks for the link. We all need a few clean jokes to get us through the day!

  6. Loved this cute story! We never know what the little ones may say. Isn’t that part of the fun of such spontaneity! Becoming comfortable effectively speaking and listening in a group is such an important skill to develop. Learning to do so at an early age is really ideal. Your class was lucky you gave them the experience. Had I not gotten side-tracked into working in medical settings, primarily with adults, I would have been busy with the younger ones and their teachers in the schools. Had I been assigned to your school I would have been encouraging your colleagues to learn from you. Providing similar but varied age-appropriate language experiences would have been one of the activities I would have promoted at all age levels, just as it was often important for me to introduce to some of my rehab patients.

    1. Still the Lucky Few

      Innovating is tough, and I hope your experience was easier. Eventually, my colleagues accepted that the risks I took were always based in sound research. I ended my career on a high note, and I am so happy I had the opportunity to use new strategies. I’m not sure what is going on in education today, but I suspect there will be the same balance between the innovators and the nay-sayers! Thanks for your comment, Jored.

  7. Yeah, Another Blogger

    You never know what kids will say! And sometimes, though probably less often, the same is true for adults.

    I just looked up Linkletter on Wikipedia. His TV show was on the air for a long time (1950-1969).

    Have a great weekend, Diane.

    Neil S.

    1. Still the Lucky Few

      People loved Art Linkletter—he had a genuine sense of humor, which was reflected in his eyes and voice. No wonder he was so successful!

    1. Still the Lucky Few

      I think that today, children of that age have more confidence. They are used to being the center of attention, and there is no limit on when, where and for how long they can speak out and have parents and other adults listen. At least that’s my experience. It was easier for us when children were “seen and not heard”, but we are the product of that thinking, and it certainly didn’t serve some of us (me included) well!

  8. Funny for you, particularly since Bucky’s mom wasn’t there (thank goodness!). And thank goodness teachers like you allowed children to learn how to express themselves. If they can begin that when they’re young, they’ll be more successful at speaking up (for themselves, in a classroom, with others, in a large presentation) when older.

    1. Still the Lucky Few

      In today’s job market, especially, speaking out confidently is a requirement. Shyness is no attribute, even though we sometimes would like to see its return!LOL

  9. oh this was a wonderful post!
    I used to watch Art Linkletter’s Kids Say the Darnedest Things whenever I got the chance. usually home sick!
    the Maud teacher in your post brought MANY such teachers to mind from my own childhood. DO IT MY WAY OR ELSE. and I’m sorry. but her reactions to you and any other ideas that she hadn’t worn out … she just didn’t listen. or even CARE! that was or is the problem with so many of them! little goddesses that know everything. and they are called teachers? heaven help us! (and now I can spot one a mile off! lol)
    my niece-in-law is a Montessori teacher. they are stationed now in an airbase in Georgia. there aren’t any Montessori schools there but she works at a local school and her methods are being taught in her class. the parents are ecstatic! they have noticed a difference in their children! I’m so proud of her. AND you! never wonder if you’ve made a difference dearest bean. YOU DO and YOU HAVE!!! xo

    1. Still the Lucky Few

      Blessings to your niece-in-law! I love to hear about courageous young teachers who don’t do it by the book. Maria Montessori was a true pioneer, and her teachings have stood the test of time. Thank you, tammy j!

  10. My favorite of Art Linkletter’s questions was when he asked the kids. “What did your parents tell you not to say?”

    1. Still the Lucky Few

      I’d forgotten that—it was priceless, and he had great results with that question!

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